The Canton Trade: Life and Enterprise on the China Coast, 1700-1845

Image Plates

Plate 1 Grand Chop issued to the SOIC ship Götheborg on 17 January 1742 granting permission to leave China. Courtesy of Kungliga Biblioteket (Royal Library), Stockholm (KBS: Kine, Ms 14). Plate 2 Extract (in Danish) from a DAC journal dated 5 February 1741 ordering all foreigners to leave Canton and go to Macao by order of the emperor. Courtesy of Rigsarkivet (National Archives), Copenhagen (RAC: Ask 1120). Plate 3 Declaration (in Dutch) of the failed merchant Monqua (Cai Wenguan 蔡文官) in 1797 and 1798 showing debts held by English, Parsees, Muslims, Armenians, Dutch and others. Courtesy of National Archives, The Hague. (NAH: OIC 197). Plate 4 Balance sheet (in Danish) from the DAC in 1765/66 showing money borrowed from Portuguese in Macao and paid to Chinese merchants in Canton for the purchase of Bohea tea. Courtesy of Rigsarkivet (National Archives), Copenhagen (RAC: Ask 1156b). Plate 5 Calculations (in Swedish) from the private trade of SOIC supercargo Jean Abraham Grill showing his costs for shipping sandalwood and mahogany from Batavia to Canton aboard the junk Sihing in the mid-1760s. Courtesy of Nordic Museum Archive, Stockholm (NM: Godegårdsarkivet F17). Plate 6 Letter written in Portuguese dated 23 November 1798 from Armenians Lazaro Johannes and Macartes Basilio (also spelled Macatish Vasilio) in Macao concerning a loan to the Dutch arranged through Armenians Manuc Jacob and Vartao Gaspar in Batavia. It is signed by Johannes and Basilio in Armenian. Courtesy of National Archives, The Hague (NAH: Canton 60). Plate 7 Bottomry contract without a co-signer given to Ma Guohu (馬國護) for junk Samkonghing (Sanguangxing 三廣興) sailing to Cochin China (Vietnam) from a SOIC supercargo dated 3 February 1763. Courtesy of Nordic Museum Archive, Stockholm (NM: Godegårdsarkivet F17). Plate 8 Bill of lading for porcelain shipped for the Dutch from Canton to Batavia aboard junk Maansand (in 1788?). Courtesy of National Archives, The Hague (NAH: Canton 296). Plate 9 Drawing in a Swedish journal from 1747/48 of two Chinese vessels, one being an ocean-going junk flying a Dutch flag. Courtesy of Kungliga Biblioteket (Royal Library), Stockholm (KBS: M 280). Plate 10 Bottomry contract given to Wu Heguan (伍和觀) for junk Hingtay (Hengtai 囱 泰) sailing to Cochin China (Vietnam) from a SOIC supercargo for 500 piastres with cosigner Hongsia (Yan Xiangshe 顏享舍) dated January/February 1765. Courtesy of Nordic Museum Archive, Stockholm (NM: Godegårdsarkivet F17). Plate 11 Bottomry contract given to Chen Jiuguan (陳九觀) for junk Sihing (Ruixing 瑞興鵃) sailing to Java from a SOIC supercargo, with co-signer Hongsia (Yan Xiangshe 顏 享舍) dated January/February 1765 and showing 400 of the 2,000 piastres coming from Armenian Ignace Narcipe in Macao. Courtesy of Nordic Museum Archive, Stockholm (NM: Godegårdsarkivet F17). Plate 12 List of 28 Canton junks and their managers and factories in 1768, with names in Chinese characters and their Cantonese and Fujianese pronunciations. Courtesy of Nordic Museum Archive, Stockholm (NM: Godegårdsarkivet F17). Plate 13 (1–6) Contract (in Dutch) between the VOC and compradors Attacq (Atack), Amy and Apo to supply provisions and labour for the Dutch factory and the Dutch ships at the prices stipulated, dated 7 August 1760 and signed by all three compradors. Courtesy of National Archives, The Hague (NAH: VOC 4384). (13.1) (13.2) (13.3) (13.4) (13.5) (13.6) Plate 14 VOC stowing schematic (in Dutch) from 1761 for ship Velsen. Courtesy of National Archives, The Hague (NAH: VOC 4387). Plate 15 VOC stowing chart (in Dutch) from 1761 showing the chests placed in each layer of the ship. Courtesy of National Archives, The Hague (NAH: VOC 4387). Plate 16 Extract (in French) from a GIC journal for September 1724 showing a skull and crossbones each time someone died aboard the ship while anchored at Whampoa. Courtesy of Stadsarchief Antwerpen (City Archive, Antwerp) (SAA: IC 5688). Plate 17 Contract (in Dutch) between the VOC and the merchants Tsja Hunqua, Tan Chetqua and Swetia for the Dutch imports of nutmeg and cloves, dated 17 November 1760. Courtesy of National Archives, The Hague (NAH: VOC 4384). Plate 19 Contract from 1744/45 between the SOIC supercargo Charles Irvine and Tan Shouqua showing the practice of “truck”, whereby imports of cochineal and cloth were applied to the purchase of chinaware. Courtesy of James Ford Bell Library, University of Minnesota (JFB...